BOSTON — Red Sox catcher Connor Wong finished his 2024 season knowing full well that he had little job security with top prospect Kyle Teel likely to make his major league debut at some point in 2025. Now, everything’s changed.
Boston included Teel as the centerpiece of the four-player package it sent to the White Sox for top starter Garrett Crochet in December, and in the process, shook up its future catching picture significantly. Without Teel in the mix, Wong — who has started 224 games at the position in the big leagues and is under team control through 2028 — looks to be a more important piece going forward.
While the main motivation behind the trade was landing a high-end starter in Crochet, the move could also be looked as a vote of confidence in Wong’s abilities. He’s expected to be the starter again with newcomer Carlos Narvaez as the projected backup.
“I think a little bit,” Wong said at Saturday’s Fenway Fest when asked if he viewed the Teel trade as a vote of confidence. “But at the same time, I still had goals I wanted to accomplish this offseason to make myself a better player whether he was going to be with us or not.
“I don’t know that my mindset changed when he (was traded),” he said. “I know I have a job to do and I have to do it to the best of my ability. I’ve got to put the work in and have to be able to perform. I want to be the best player I can be and help this team win ballgames.”
Wong, who broke down offensively in the second half of last season and also ranked among the worst regular catchers in many defensive categories (third percentile in blocking, ninth percentile in framing), entered the winter on a mission. He vowed to dedicate the down time to improving his defense as well as bulking up after playing at 190 lbs. in 2024.
Physically, he looks a bit different, something that coaches have already noticed.
“If you see Connor, you’d be impressed with how he looks…,” said manager Alex Cora. “He looks strong. Shoulders, big legs, explosive. He’s in a big spot.”
Wong, who is very fast for a catcher (79th percentile sprint speed) and athletic enough to play infield positions when asked, has aimed to gain weight without sacrificing athleticism. Interestingly, Cora said the Red Sox have not discussed potential positional work for him after he played 64 ⅔ innings at first base, 19 innings at second base and two frames in left field last year.
“A lot of eating, forcing food trying to put on as much weight as I can,” Wong said. “Wanting to be a little more physical, a little more durable … That’s the goal, to see how much weight I can put on and still move the same way I have in the past.”
Overall, the Red Sox were pleased with the offensive production from Wong, who hit .280 with 13 homers, 24 doubles and a .758 OPS while cutting his strikeout rate down from 33.3% (2023) to 23.4%. Still, he was much better in the first half (.809 OPS) than the second (.696 OPS). That he hit .311 with an .877 OPS against lefties was encouraging for a team looking for more right-handed pop.
Defense, however, remains the key. With new catching instructor Parker Guinn, the Red Sox have developed an individualized plan for Wong that they hope will pay off in a big way.
“That was one of the biggest goals for me this offseason, to get better back there,” Wong said. “That has been a huge focus.
“Receiving, blocking, the whole thing, really. We’ve changed some of the setup. It’s felt really good so far. We still have a little bit of time left in the offseason to keep pushing.”
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